The document discusses preparation, execution, and analysis of engagements. It emphasizes the importance of preparation, including researching the other parties, rehearsing, and ensuring professional personal appearance. Proper preparation lays the foundation for establishing rapport and influencing the outcome. Execution involves firm handshakes, mirroring the other parties' speech patterns and breathing to build rapport, and looking for opportunities to demonstrate knowledge of their interests. After meetings, it's important to analyze what went well, what could be improved, and update notes for future reference.

1. *intellectual property of Michael Lee Lindsay February 3, 2015.
Preparing For, Conducting and Analyzing Engagements
First impressions are very important when it comes to any type of meeting or engagement. How
you look and present yourself will dictate how the meeting goes and what the outcome is. This article
will encompass three sections: Preparation, Execution and Analysis.
I will break the preparation phase down into personal preparation, research and rehearsals.
Although each section or phase is just as important as the next it all starts with the proper preparation
and how well you prepare depends on how well the engagement goes for you and how good the
outcome meets your end state.
The first part of the preparation is doing a good mission analysis, knowing your audience and
coming up with goals and an end state. It is imperative that when writing your goals they are obtainable,
assessable and only one action per goal but more than one objective per goal. For example:
Goal 1: Obtain employment with XXX organization.
Objective 1A. Gain rapport
Objective 1B. Get immediate feedback during the interview
Objective 1C. Get second interview if necessary
Goal 2: Obtain the salary XXX (within + or – 2%).
Objective 2A. Open salary negotiation
Objective 2B. State what you bring to the team to deserve what you are
requesting.
End state: I will be hired for the position I am interviewing for and obtain the salary that
I am worth.
Now, you are probably asking “How do I reach those goals?” Well, the first part of the answer to
that is research. You need to gain as much knowledge as possible about the person or people you are
engaging and the business they work for. Things you need to research for the person and the business
(to include the position you are interviewing for) are:
The person: What are their likes/ dislikes? What is their educational background? Are they
married, have kids? What type of morals/values do they have? What religion are they? Do they speak
other languages? Do they have anything in common with you such as hobbies?
How do you gain this knowledge? Websites like Google, wiki and other social media are
incredibly valuable. You can find out most of these things by looking in those places on the web, but a
lot of it will also come during the first interview by looking around the office, being personable and
asking questions. Once you go into their office for an interview, most people will hang up their degrees,
have a certain type/genre of books on the book shelf, certain types of decorations or pictures, and

2. *intellectual property of Michael Lee Lindsay February 3, 2015.
probably have pictures of their family on the desk. All of these things you can use to gain rapport by
asking questions. For example:
“I see you have a lot of boat decorations and pictures up, do you own a boat?” This will
then spur conversations about boats and if you are a boat owner or knowledgeable about them
it gives you something in common with your interviewer. People like to talk about themselves
and by you showing interest in them helps you gain rapport with them.
The business: What does the business DO? Do they have any competitors? What are their
corporate values? Do they do any charity work? Who are their key members and what they do or what
are their positions?
The company website usually has all of the information to answer most of the questions
above. You just have to do a little digging.
The position: What are the daily duties and scope of the position? How does the position fit in
with the corporation? Who are the other team members? Who will be your boss? What is the
average/mean salary for the position in your area? Where do you think you sit on the salary line with
your education and experience?
The position posting will usually tell you what your duties will be and what certifications,
qualifications, experience, and education that is required. There are other websites that will tell
you what the salaries are in your area for the specific job you are interviewing for. Some of the
information you will have to gather at the interview by asking the direct questions.
The next part of preparation is conducting rehearsals. Know what you want to get out of the
meeting and if there is anything you have to give if necessary to include what your options are or what
you are comfortable with negotiating. If this is another type of meeting like a Military Key Leader
engagement it will follow the same rules as above except you will also bring a note taker(which will help
out gaining the information on the person you are meeting with by scanning the office and writing down
as many observations as possible.
Depending on where you are and if there are any language barriers you might also want to
consider bringing an interpreter. Rehearsing with the interpreter is a must, it is always good to bring
someone you are comfortable with and someone you trust so you know the right message is getting
translated.
Make sure you have someone role play the person you are supposed to meet with and answer
actual questions, go through several iterations of this engagement and consider as many wrenches that
may be thrown in as possible.
Personal presentation is extremely important. It is the very first impression you make on the
person you are meeting/interviewing with. Most people make their minds up about a person within the
first ten seconds of meeting them. You don’t want to blow any future opportunity because of poor
personal preparation.

3. *intellectual property of Michael Lee Lindsay February 3, 2015.
Some of the considerations and preparations you need to do are getting a fresh hair cut, make
sure nails clipped and neatly groomed, be clean shaven, make sure you have fresh breath, make sure
you don’t have any nose or ear hairs sticking out to distract from your personal appearance. Don’t wear
too much cologne or make-up. Ensure you are freshly showered and have on deodorant. If you sweat a
lot bring a small hand towel to dry off with before you go into the interview and bring hand sanitizer so
your hands are not sticky when you go to hand shake.
Always dress to impress. This includes ensuring your clothes fit properly, and are tailored if you
are wearing a suit. The accessories are equally as important as the clothes are and are often overlooked.
Other considerations are matching your belt and shoe color, not wearing a sport watch with a business
suit, wearing proper shoes with your attire, and making sure your tie matches and does not distract the
interviewer. You only get one time for a first impression. This goes for every time you go out. You never
know who you will run into and when it will be imperative to make that first impression.
Now that you are familiar with preparation here are a few tips on how to gain rapport rapidly
and execute the meeting successfully. As soon as you walk through the door they will be watching and
paying attention to you. You have made a great first impression by how you dress, and how you walk
which shows confidence. Make sure you smile and your hands are not wet and sticky, and then give a
firm handshake.
As the meeting actually opens make sure to always start by sitting in a formal stance then take
cues from the interviewer. Take a mental note of how fast or slow they are talking to you and then
match the tone and speed of their voice. Also notice the speed they are breathing. This gives you a huge
advantage. If they are breathing fast or heavily, more than likely they are in a hurry or are aggravated
about something. By matching their breath subconsciously they will then eventually start matching your
breath and you can actually start to slow their breathing down and calm them. This takes a lot of
practice but the more rapport you gain the easier it is. Making small talk will give you time to watch and
listen to the interviewer and give you time to look around the room inconspicuously.
Now use the information you gained during the preparation and example of looking for common
interests. Talking about them and being knowledgeable about things they care about go a long way in
gaining and maintain rapport. This is also where you discuss what you want to gain, answer questions,
bring credibility to yourself by expanding on subjects and personal certifications and experience.
When closing a meeting or interview make sure you answer their questions and at the end they
will ask you if you have any questions as well. Never say no, always have questions to ask about the
team or job. Always restate what was accomplished and schedule a follow up if needed.
After the meeting it is always important to conduct an analysis. Some things to answer: Did you
get what you wanted? Did you establish good rapport? What did your note taker notice about the
office/meeting place? Make sure to update info on who you talked with any new personal information,
what went right, what could be better for next time? This way you always have more information and
ensure your subsequent meetings go well and improve rapport.